Acid reflux is a burning sensation in your chest that happens usually after eating. This might be worse during the nighttime.
The individual might complain of chest pain, difficulty swallowing, and a certain irritation and uneasiness.
This is quite a common type of problem for people. This is a chronic disease that happens when the acid flows into the food pipe and irritates the lining.
There are certain ways through which it can be controlled and medicated. Let’s check out the ways through which it can be done.
Common Triggers Of Acid Reflux
Acid reflux is triggered by medical conditions, but the conditions aggravate and develop into a chronic disease due to some lifestyle choices.
The common triggers of heartburn include:
- Consumption of carbonated foods like caffeine, carbonated beverages, alcohol, chocolates, tomato-based products, and fatty and spicy foods
- Overeating and eating fast
- Lying down too early after consuming food
- Being overweight
- Smoking
- Excessive stress
Home Remedies Of Acid Reflux And Heartburn
1. Chewing Sugar-free Gum
Chewing sugar-free gum is a great way of restricting yourself from heartburn.
When you are chewing sugar-free gum, it acts to produce saliva. This reduces heartburn.
This helps neutralise the stomach acid that is refluxed into your esophagus.
2. Eating Raw Banana
Banana has a high potassium, and it makes a fairly alkaline food. This denotes that it keeps counteracting the acids that act to irritate your oesophagus.
Therefore when you feel the complaint of chest pain from eating a banana, it will surely provide you with instant relief from heartburn.
Other than bananas, there are other foods that act to offset heartburn, and they include cauliflowers, melons, fennel and nuts.
3. Resist The Urge Of Overeating Or Eat Too Quickly
We know that our lifestyle does not allow us to eat slowly. We all have been accustomed to eating fast. We don’t know that it affects our digestive system badly.
Moreover, we also have a certain liking for overeating. If the food is tasty, we tend to eat more than our capacity, and that goes on to increase complexities as far as the digestive system is concerned.
Having a large amount of food acts to put pressure on the valve and keeps the acid out of your esophagus. And this tends to increase the chances of heartburn, especially when combined with alcohol.
4. Sleeping On The Left Side
Though it sounds grotesque apparently, it is a fact that sleeping on the left side relieves heartburn or acid reflux.
It has been found from several studies that sleeping on the right side increases the chances of acid reflux, especially during the nighttime.
When you sleep on the right side of the stomach, it covers the lower oesophagal sphincter. And it increases the risk of reflux.
But if you sleep on the left side, then it would decrease acid exposure on the esophagus to a massive 71%! Believe us.
5. Eat Dinner Earlier
It’s a clinically proven fact that eating dinner early helps reduce the chances of acid reflux. This is therefore considered a healthy lifestyle and part of the culture.
According to a study, it is found that eating a late-night meal works to increase acid exposure. You can also refer to Dr. Jamie Koufman’s books to prepare food that helps you with acid reflux.
Moreover, through another study conducted on 817 diabetic patients, it was found that late dinners are all associated with a higher risk of acid reflux.
6. If You Are Overweight, Take Steps To Lose Weight
Excessive weight puts excessive pressure on the stomach. This, in turn, increases the chances of heartburn and acid reflux.
Therefore you need to eat well-balanced food and make sure that you engage yourself in physical activity. This helps regulate acid reflux or increasing heartburn.
7. Stop Smoking
Smoking reduces the amount of saliva in your mouth. It keeps stomach acid from entering the esophagus.
This increases the chances of heartburn. Therefore you need to try and quit smoking.
8. Check Your Medication
There are certain medicines like estrogen, tricyclic antidepressants, anti-inflammatory painkillers and other medications like alendronate and ibandronate that are used by patients. All of these create irritation in the esophagus.
What Else?
Other than this, there are other ways through which you could control acid reflux. Various resources are available online that can assist provided by leading acid reflux specialists and medical professionals.
These ways include taking short but more frequent meals, Following a low carb diet, limiting the carbonate beverages, and drinking too many citric juices.
All these are extremely beneficial in bypassing acid reflux. Focus mainly on lifestyle.
